Special City of Santa Cruz meeting on Housing Crisis

The Santa Cruz City Council addressed the housing crisis in a special Tuesday night meeting.

There was no vote Tuesday but they are now looking to the public for ideas.

The issue of affordable housing is one most of the Central Coast is dealing with, and the City of Santa Cruz is no exception.

“A report came out that said the [median] home price for new home sales is $875,000 in Santa Cruz County which means it’s probably much higher in the City of Santa Cruz,” said Deputy City Manager Scott Collins.

Collins says, Tuesday’s meeting is meant to bring the entire community together to share thoughts on solutions.

“We plan to do a lot of engagement in the next six months,” Collins says. “Tonight is kind of the kickoff.”

Nora Hochman is a 30-year Santa Cruz resident, she says a lot has changed since she bought her first Santa Cruz home in 1983.

“I had to pay $700 a month for it, it probably would rent for $4,000 a month today,” Hochman said.

It’s reasons like that which brought Hochman, along with close to 200 other people, to the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium.

Though the event generated a large turnout, the city says they still have a lot of work to do to reach those who didn’t attend Tuesday.

“If we go where [people] are, maybe shopping downtown or going out for a drink or dinner, you can catch them on the way there,” Collins said. “You ask some questions about housing that maybe gets them to think about it and invite them to come back to a meeting.”

The Santa Cruz City Council will take July off but will continue evaluating the feedback generated Tuesday through the next six months. They hope to have a solution in place by January.

If you have ideas or opinions you would like to share with the city council, click here.